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MD-SEN: Cook Downgrades Race To "Toss-Up"
In this cycle it's pretty rare that a nonpartisan analyst shifts his or her rating of a race in favor of the GOP, but Charlie Cook has now downgraded the contest between Dem Ben Cardin and GOP candidate Michael Steele from "Leans Democratic" to "Toss Up." Cook notes that the race is "closer than most observers expected it to be." Check out all the polls of the race here.
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That's a crock. Sure it's a close race, but throw out the S-USA outlier and Cardin is in good shape.
October 30, 2006 2:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even with the new WaPo poll that has Cardin up 11? And the Rasmussen has Cardin up 7? And Cook decides to downgrade it to tossup on the basis of one poll from a week and a half ago?
Strange.
-- Stu
October 30, 2006 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, now I see that Cook did this on Saturday, so presumably before the WaPo and new Rasmussen polls came out. Wonder if he'll change his mind now.
-- Stu
October 30, 2006 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Something makes me think there's an orchestrated campaign to make this race look closer than it really is, perhaps to try to attract some DSCC dollars there, rather than to one of the other close races.
I think it's a GOP head-fake. Maybe they showed Cook some deceptive internals to make it look close, but it's hard to see him getting sucked in since he's a sophisticated player.
October 30, 2006 2:20 PM | Reply | Permalink